Dinky's Family
by Sanorace
Summary: Dr. Hooves slowly uncovers the complexity of Dinky's family while she, in turn, tries to discover the Doctor's secrets.


Yes I will be continuing my Discworld fanfics. I just have been writing chapters out of order.

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Dr. Hooves casually opened the door to Timeturner's Emporium in Ponyville. He had been forced to change his name after a little problem during his initial visit to Equestria. Dr. Timeturner had absolutely nothing to do with that incident in Canterlot. He was simply a small time business owner, an earth pony nonetheless. What would he possibly be doing in Canterlot?

He had been living in Ponyville for two years now and no one suspected a thing except for one cynical little filly who just happened to be waiting for him in his shop. The Doctor had babysitted the unicorn foal a few times but they were mostly just good neighbors. Dinky hadn't shown any real curiosity towards his antique store before and it was unnerving that she had started showing up lately.

"Dinky, what are you doing here again?"

"Mom says that if I ever get lost or something then I can come here and I'll be okay," she said cheerfully as she lounged on a two hundred year old armchair.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Dr. Hooves grumbled. "I'm pretty sure Derpy is the only pony who could get lost in a town as small as this one."

Dinky glared at him with a look that should never be seen on a child or anypony for that matter. The filly was all bubbles and sugar right up until the point where she turned heel on you. Her classmates had long ago decided that it wasn't a good thing to insult her mom. Dr. Hooves knew that too, but it had been a frustrating day and babysitting Dinky was nowhere near how he wanted to spend his afternoon. He always thought that behind that cute exterior, Dinky hid a chasm of rage just waiting for a target that would never come.

"I came here so the bullies won't know where I am," she told him. "Then I'll be lost to them so it totally counts as being lost."

"You're being bullied?" he asked.

"Yeah, cuz Mom's got bad eyes, but the bullies won't get me here because everyone at school thinks you're creepy."

"What? I'm not creepy!"

_Seriously,_ he thought, _**you're**_ _the creepy one here_.

"They say that you don't belong here and that you're some kind of alien."

"That's preposterous," he said cursing silently. "I'm not an alien!"

"Miss Cheerilee said that anypony who comes from a different country is called an alien."

Dr. Hooves frowned and stared at the door wishing that a customer would come and save him.

"Well yes, that's technically true," he mumbled.

"And you talk funny."

"I'm from Trottingham! This is how everypony speaks there!"

_Please oh please just go away. Why can't you just act like a normal filly and **not** hang around in antique stores?_

"That one kid's from Trottingham too," Dinky said. "The one who looks like a cow."

"Don't say such things!"

"Well he does."

"Granted he does, but you still shouldn't be rude. What will people think?"

"I don't care. If they try anything then I'll tell them I'm friends with the creepy alien guy."

Dr. Hooves sighed. It was obvious that the little unicorn was going nowhere.

"I don't even know what to say about that," he moaned.

"Yeah, neither did Silver Spoon."

"Does everypony think I'm creepy?"

"No, but that's because they don't know your secret."

"What secret? I don't have a secret. Who told you about a secret?"

_What have I done to deserve this? Right, I know what I did but this is just cruel!_

"Amethyst Star said she saw you one time with pegasus wings on. She said they were fake, but I know better. No one makes wings like that in Ponyville. You must have chopped um right off a pegasus."

Dr. Hooves gagged. "What are you talking about? You can't just say things like that!"

"Yeah I can," said Dinky coldly. "Mom says I'm allowed to because both my parents are dead."

Dr. Hooves opened his mouth but no sound came out. Even though they had been neighbors for two years, no one had ever told him. What are you supposed to say when a cute little unicorn tells you something like that so flatly? He wasn't even sure what he would say if a human child said it.

"Oh… sorry."

"That's what everyone says. I try not to do it around Mom though. She doesn't say anything but I can tell she doesn't like it when I say gross stuff. She gets all quiet. I like it better when she smiles."

Dr. Hooves thought about Derpy and her adorable eyes. He remembered how they shined when she was happy.

"Yeah, I know…" He straightened up and coughed awkwardly. "Um, I mean everypony looks better when they smile."

"You don't."

"Hey!"

"You always look like you're hiding something. I bet you got a whole evil alien lair in your basement. You're not even a real doctor!"

"I have a doctorates degree," he explained, glossing over the alien lair bit. "You can be a doctor without being a medical doctor."

"Oh yeah, where's your degree then? It must have been a pretty lame degree. You don't even have a stethoscope!"

"I don't need a stethoscope in my area of study and for your information I received my degree from the University of Canterlot."

As soon as he had said it Dr. Hooves cursed silently at himself for making such a mistake.

"That's just for unicorns," Dinky said, that cold glare returning. "You can't fool me. You must be cutting off unicorn horns too. You are that evil."

"Oh my, I think I'm going to vomit." The thought of someone butchering such innocent creatures was appalling.

"Yeah, well, I'm on to your tricks, '_Doctor_' Timeturner," said Dinky as she trotted out the door. "You're not getting my horn!"


End file.
